West Northamptonshire charities face Christmas pressures

The Hope Centre in Northampton said it had seen a "startling rise" in homeless people needing help

A number of Northamptonshire charities said demand for their services was increasing in the run-up to Christmas.

The Hope Centre in Northampton, which helps people who are homeless, has reported a "startling rise" in cases.

Several charities in the west of the county have joined forces over the festive period so residents can get the most out of their festive appeals.

Initiatives on offer include "an extra place at the dinner table" and buying parents gifts to give to children.

The Hope Centre said over the past three months it had seen a "startling rise" in the number of people accessing services, with more than 60 needing help every day.

Alex Copeland said the Hope Centre's doors had been open since Wednesday when temperatures dropped

Its chief executive, Alex Copeland, said: "It's been a really challenging time for many of the homeless people on the streets.

"We've opened our doors since Wednesday just to get everyone in off the streets. They've been sleeping on camp beds donated by the Army just to make sure they are not dying."

The McCarthy Dixon Foundation, another charity in the alliance, collects hundreds of food parcels

The Hope Centre is part of an alliance of about 40 charities under the umbrella of Food Aid Alliance West Northants.

One member - Re:store Northampton - provides a range of support from emergency food to community activities.

The charity's founder, Anya Willis, said: "We're seeing a real change [from] adults needing support to families that are in desperate need, and many of those are working families."

Re:store Northampton's Christmas initiative is the "Great Gift Giveaway", which involves donors paying for a gift which the charity then buys for a parent to wrap for their own children.

Ms Willis said she was expecting to give out at least 300 gifts to vulnerable families this year.